ESC

The album opens with my favorite cut, “Woodvine.” Slide guitar and a whimsy, dream-like melody lead you into ESC’s debut record, Geometry. Dale Hiscock, the man behind ESC, was born, raised, and part of multiple musical projects in the very place I’ve spent the past decade of my life, Bozeman, Montana. Somehow, we never crossed paths in this little place called Bozeman but now music has crossed our paths. Dale, based out of Boise, Idaho now, is making music of his own but also finding ways to incorporate the local music scene. When introducing his music to me he related his sound to bands like “American Football, Radical Face, Local Natives and stuff like that.” There is something comforting and familiar about ESC’s music but it simultaneously stands on its own. I second his likeness to the bands he mentioned. But, I also hear a bit of Death Cab For Cutie slip in there on “So it Goes”, a gentle track with thumping rhythms, a deep underlying bassline, and a catchy guitar lick that stitches it all together.

Upon listening to Geometry in one sitting, the seven tracks fly by but in no real hurry. The general mood of the record is slow motion; mellow. “Real Estate” is a purely instrumental track. Its hypnotic nature requires no lyrics and allows the listener’s thoughts to ebb and flow with the changing instruments while the drum beat remains constant. “Fireflies” finishes with a beautiful, and all too short, piano version of the songs’ melody, again highlighting the fact that this record is not rushing to get you to the final cuts.